By Ernest Chanda
THE PF in Lusaka fear the country may go the Malawi way with regards to the eligibility of President Edgar Lungu who the current constitution does not allow to recontest having held office twice.
In Malawi, the courts overturned an election and ordered fresh polls that were won by the opposition.
PF has accused the opposition of assembling a team of what he termed expensive lawyers to petition President Lungu’s eligibility after filing his nomination papers for the August 12 general election.
Addressing journalists on Friday morning at his office, Lusaka Province PF chairman Paul Moonga also accused the opposition of planning to pay Constitutional Court judges to rule in their favour.
He said according to PF intelligence reports, the opposition had already compiled their petition, just waiting to file when the time comes.
“By last year October, they (opposition) put a consortium of lawyers together waiting to go and petition the eligibility of our president once he files his nomination. May be, you have misunderstood me,” he said. “Our colleagues, the opposition political parties, with the alliance, with our whole intelligence report we have ourselves as a province and the whole entire country; instead of spending their time and energy mobilising their party members who would be their voters, they’re busy mobilising the most expensive lawyers who can go to court after we’ve filed our nomination [for] 12th of August. They’re putting up, the following day they’ll be in the courts of law fighting our president [that] he’s not eligible to stand; what a shame!”
Moonga, who constantly referred to the Malawian 2019 presidential election that was nullified in favour of the opposition, warned judges that the PF was watching them.
He further questioned the credibility of the Malawian judiciary.
“With those lessons from Malawi which I think the opposition are leaning on, we may go the Malawi way. They may try to buy some, but not all judges can be the same. Believing they may buy a few judges to nullify the credibility of our candidate, that’s their focus,” Moonga added. “So, [instead of putting] on money to grow the party, they’re busy putting on money to see whom they can corrupt; a judge to nullify our president. We are very much alive, we’re aware and we are watching all the judges in Zambia. Kindly, don’t fall prey to these monsters who have no known manifesto for this country; don’t fall prey to these monsters who have no agenda for Zambia, whose agenda is simply to become President of Zambia at any cost. This, members of the press, my office, has this message.’’
He however advised the opposition that they still have time to recruit more members.
“I’m also aware and very much alive, as much [as] I trust our judiciary which really are men above board, but I’m also aware of the situation that has been in Malawi. In Malawi [there] is a simple majority. The opposition, how they behave, the opposition in Malawi, I don’t understand,” said Moonga. “How the judiciary in Malawi can nullify an elected government and yet the Constitution does not allow…allows for a simple majority. For members of the opposition, they have still a lot of time to go in the field and find votes, instead of wasting money to pay lawyers…. But come elections, the Zambian people know that we are winning elections.”